وَقَدْ هَرَّتْ كِلَابُ الْحَيِّ مِنَّا وَشَذَّبْنَا قَتَادَةَ مَنْ يَلِينَا
The settlement’s dogs barked at us, and we trimmed the thorn-tree of those near us.
Harrat conveys the barking or growling of dogs. Qatādah is a thorny desert tree, while shadhdhabnā means trimming or pruning.
The pruning does not primarily describe horticulture. It figures weakening neighbouring opponents as removing dangerous thorns. The barking dogs and desert tree lend a tangible setting to the boast.
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ʿAmr ibn Kulthūm: Address to Abā Hind, Tribal Pride and the Mill of War (Verses 23–38)
وَقَدْ هَرَّتْ كِلَابُ الْحَيِّ مِنَّا وَشَذَّبْنَا قَتَادَةَ مَنْ يَلِينَا
The settlement’s dogs barked at us, and we trimmed the thorn-tree of those near us.
Harrat conveys the barking or growling of dogs. Qatādah is a thorny desert tree, while shadhdhabnā means trimming or pruning.
The pruning does not primarily describe horticulture. It figures weakening neighbouring opponents as removing dangerous thorns. The barking dogs and desert tree lend a tangible setting to the boast.